Over the holiday weekend I read a new book - Boost Your Revenues By Turning People Away - How to Sell More to Your Ideal Client Online by Alison Silbert.
What I like about this book is that it's a real "how-to" book, but without being super techie. Alison really dives into the specifics of what you need to do to set up a website and online business.
Who should read this book?
- People who are setting up their websites themselves.
- People who are hiring someone else to set up their website, but still want to have a basic understanding of what's going on.
- People who want guidance in how to hire a professional to set up their site.
What you'll learn
The book covers the basics from how to determine your ideal customer, to what content you should develop for your site, to how to set up a website and email, to how to drive traffic to your site, all in a short easy-to-read format.
Here are some of the key takeaways I found useful:
Developing Content
Look at your competition - How do you compare to the competition? You must differentiate yourself and your products. This sounds simple yet I see very few websites that do a good job of differentiating themselves.
Answer your visitors' questions - Again, this sounds simple, but it's not always easy. Make a list of all the possible questions your ideal customer would have and make sure you create content that answers those questions. Also make sure you have a FAQ page.
Put together powerful testimonials - One key way to do that is to paint a "before and after" picture. Outline the client's situation before he/she came to you for help, state what you did to improve the client's situation, and any benefits/improvements the client experienced once the change was implemented.
You'll find lots of other ideas on what content you should develop to persuade your ideal visitor to buy from you.
Website Design and Development
Learn the pros and cons of certain functionality like auto play video, flash, and Pay Pal vs. other payment methods. Also learn the basics about CRM systems and how to choose the right one for you.
Learn the pros and cons of template vs. custom designed websites. There are advantages to both. It's important to plan ahead and know what you may want to add in the future so you don't have to create a whole new website a year down the road.
Questions to ask programmers and designers. It's worth the book just for these questions you should ask to make sure you're hiring someone who knows what they are doing.
If you're looking for a short, easy to read primer - this is your book. Pick up your copy of Boost Your Revenues By Turning People Away - How to Sell to Your Ideal Client Online by Alison Silbert.
Wow, some great information here. YvonneW
Posted by: Theyppublishing | June 07, 2011 at 09:09 AM
Glad I found this! Will look out for that book. May come in handy as I have built my site with this market in mind. The real problem is though, is getting people to actually do it themselves. There are far too many who expect it all to be done for them and for nothing.
Like the site and thanks for sharing. :)
and yes, watch out, there is a male in your midst :)
Posted by: Reub | July 18, 2011 at 06:39 PM